Sweet recipes: Fizzy summer soda

Homemade Soda: Photo by Kristin Massad

A backyard summer barbecue is the perfect place to sip on a refreshingly fizzy homemade soda. Although this fruity drink is called Italian cream soda, it was originally created in the United States, flavored with well-known Italian syrups. This recipe gives the option to make your own syrups from scratch, which provides endless flavor possibilities for a quick and easy summer drink.

Directions
Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.
Once sugar has dissolved, add fresh fruit and boil for 10 minutes or until syrup thickens.
Strain the mixture to remove fruit, and keep the juice.
Allow the simple syrup to cool completely before using.
Add 2-3 tablespoon of simple syrup to a glass filled with ice.
Pour sparkling water on top of the simple syrup until the glass is almost full.
Top off the soda with a splash of half-and-half.